As He Falls
by SuNsHiNe10
Summary: [one-shot] An allegory of how far Starfire is willing to go for Robin.


For him to let down his guard was rare, rarer even than someone catching him on it. Yet, it happened. I cannot recall who attacked him, or even how. Such details are useless to me now. I believe I screamed; I am unsure whether it was his name or not. Perhaps I attempted it, but I was too frightened for words and instead created an incomprehensible jumble of shrieks. The blow had stolen his consciousness and he was soaring backwards over the edge of the station. He was falling, falling, down into the endless dark pits of the ocean hundreds of feet below.

It is...nearly impossible to describe what I was feeling at that moment. It was the most horrendous, most terrible, most dreadful thing I have ever experienced.

I do not wish such a hideous feeling upon anyone.

I felt an explosion of rage and anguish within my chest and a surge of power raced through my veins until the force was so great I could no longer contain it. I opened my mouth, releasing a bellow of frustration and anger as a sea of green screeched out from every inch of my body. My legs and arms stiffened, my fingers extended, my eyes burned, but I did not relent. The emerald wave of power tore apart the rig I was stand on. The metal began to melt beneath my feet, leaving gooey grey trails all along the edges of my boots. I withdrew only when the enemy's cries of terror and pain mirrored my own. I stopped the flow of the hot jade energy and allowed the remaining swell to finish its work. The mangled, sickening body of my foe twitched, burnt and sizzling in the distance. It did not matter, then and now. Without hesitation, I spun on my heel, sprinted to the edge, and dove gracefully after him.

He was plunging more rapidly than I had anticipated. He was already halfway to the black rushing waters that suddenly seemed much more foreboding than I had ever recalled. The bright lights scattered around the metallic island were dissolving as I soared after him into the enveloping darkness. My eyes watered from the speed I was traveling at, but I refused to blink for fear of losing sight of him.

Closer to the water now, and the darkness only increased with each inch we fell. I could have sworn that sinister charcoal hands had erupted from the water and wrapped their bony fingers around his body, dragging him into the depths. He could do nothing to defy it and was letting himself become consumed by the blackness. Part of my absently believed he _wished _to drop into the shadows, that he saw no alternative and thus did not want to be brought back to the light.

The enticing oil was dizzying, and I could barely make out his outline against the murky waves. The temperature had dropped significantly and I fought the urge to return to the warm, bright ledge where I would safely watch him plummet. I can recollect dozens of times when he has let me fall without a second thought. I suppose he imagined that I would have recovered on my own.

I suppose he did not realize that there are more aspects to recovery besides physical.

A sadistic thought crossed my mind; why am I allowing myself to stretch beyond limits to rescue him? I have never been his savior, and in times when I at least deserved a appreciative grin he has pushed me aside mumbling something about his next project. Who am I to question if he even wishes to be saved?

Ever so slightly, I decreased my speed.

The others' faint cries reached my ears after an eternity. They had lost all hope in him. They said it was pointless. They said I could not stop it. They think he is already lost.

This renewed my cause. Already they had lost confidence in him, their doubt overwhelm them. They feel he belongs in this darkness, but I know. Despite what he leads us to believe, he is frightened. He had knitted an ebony blanket to wrap himself in, but he discovered all too quickly that he could not bear the weight of the hot, heavy wool. He still insisted on wearing it, and barked at anyone who tried to peel it off of him. The others once had tried to lure him out, but gave up after a few rude snaps. But I will not give up. I will never give up. I have found the loose thread, all I need to do is pull.

His peacefully oblivious body was inches from mine, I was but a hair away from snatching his hand. But he was falling at such a velocity that whenever I made a grab for him he slipped out of my reach.

_**CRASH!**_

He dropped into the frigid ocean, creating a white foam contrast to the black water. I halted, hovering just above the surface. The water was dark, so dark that I could not see anything past my own inky reflection. I could not see his fleeting form, but I knew that he was falling fast. It would only be a matter of time before...

With a large gasp of air more pained than rushed, I thrust myself into the nigrous pits. My bones rattled and shivered in the frozen obsidian and I held out a lighted hand, casting an eerie chartreuse glow against the sooty nothing. The water around me warmed and began bubbling with heat. I continued my decent, tumbling faster and faster into the unknown. Ghoulish entities swam past, glowering menacingly as if to say, "Turn back, he is ours." I was beginning to panic- I was losing oxygen and was still unable to locate him.

Wait.

There!

His mouth was open slightly as he drifted silently downward and I feared I had lost him. I laced my fingers around his wrist and slung my arm underneath his legs to cradle him. I could not help but notice how weak and vulnerable he looked at that moment, like a bleary-eyed child who had separated from his mother. With a great burst of speed, I employed my ability of flight to my advantage and soared from the cold, bleak darkness to the warm, lighted dock as I struggled to breathe.

My teammates clamored in joy upon our return, asking about my welfare and his. Something was draped across my shoulders for warmth and it took me a moment to subconsciously realize what it was.

I tenderly touched down to my knees, still holding his limp body in my arms. Panting, I gently combed my fingers through his unruly raven locks before letting my hand drift past his delicate cheeks, across his pronounced Adam's apple, and resting calmly on his chest. He was not moving, but all of a sudden he began coughing and sputtering profusely. The others screamed in delight, their doubts now vanquished, and crowded around him. I did not move though, I merely smiled. I knew all along that he would be well.

He always is.

He laid his head comfortably into my thigh, gazing up at me with dazed but grateful eyes.

"Thanks, Star." He murmured meekly, a lopsided grin curling up his lip. "What would I do without you?"

I will not even justify that with a response.

_It was a grand race to the finish between this and two other Robin/Starfire oneshots I'm working on. Originally I wanted to get the happy-fun-time la la WHEE story based on 'Michelle Ma Belle' up first because its cute and happy and after an angst fest like SHNT I don't want everyone thinking that I'm slitting my wrists and writing crappy music. (Yay run on sentence!) I'd finished this about 2 months ago in a notebook, but LOST said notebook, and only recently found it. So, I was bored, it was here, you get the story. _

_Um, I rather like this. I hope everyone gets the meaning though. (And if you do get it I hope I didn't beat you over the head with it like a fish.)_

_On an unrelated note, do you know how HARD it is to come up with more words for black! It's freaking impossible!_

_Please review! I feed off them. They give me life, and I like living! Thanks again!_


End file.
